Us Against the Shadows (STORY TENNIS)
by Leche Flandre
Summary: The Cosmos Sailors were supposed to be in London investigating a Shadow outbreak there. Instead, they get an invitation to a little party. What happens next, not even their mysterious party host could prepare for...
1. Chapter 1

_So, hello everybody! This is what I like to call a "Story Tennis" collaboration with **StrikerStanding692**. Basically, it goes like this: I post a chapter on my page, and he will post the next chapter on his page, and we will go back and forth until the end. So, when you're done reading this, check his page out for Chapter 2!_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: It All Begins**

 **Part I: The Honour Would Be Entirely Mine**

Noon, Present-day, London, United Kingdom

Earth, Universe 11, Multiverse Junistera

It'd been three days since they returned back to London. Three days of uneventful quiet; a welcome relief, no doubt, especially after getting sucked into a rift and into some huge and intense battle in Makati, Philippines. Then, there was that one girl, who seemed to have not only interspatial rifts at her fingertips, but even Time itself. They had so many questions, especially since after the battle, the mystery girl just disappeared without a trace. But the Cosmic Sailors were here to do one thing: to investigate a Shadow outbreak, and eliminate it. And so far, they'd been coming up short on that end. Tired from patrolling nonstop for the past few days, the Sailors decide to find a place to rest and reconvene. Little did they know that Fate had other plans for them.

Honoka heard a knock on the door. The Sailors had rented out a flat to use as a base of operations while they were patrolling the city. Nine girls shared a space meant for just a family of four. And it was there that all nine were relaxing when the knock came on the door. Honoka got up to answer it.

Opening it, she found a girl with fair skin and brown eyes; her long black hair was tied into twin tails on the sides. She wore a school uniform, and she had in her hands a stack of envelopes. "Um, hi," she said nervously.

"Hello," said Honoka, "Who might you be?"

"I'm a neighbor. From across the street. Ummm….anyway, these came to my place. But they weren't addressed to me. I guess the postman got the addresses mixed up, eh? Not a hard mistake to make; our addresses are pretty similar, ehehe. Anyway, I believe these were supposed to come to you." She held out the stack of envelopes.

"Oh, uh, thanks," said Honoka, taking them.

"Well, uh, goodbye, then," the twin-tailed girl turned and walked back to her place across the street.

"Bye…" Honoka's voice trailed off as the girl closed the door to her flat. _She looks quite young to have a place all to herself,_ she thought to herself, _anyway, let's see what's in these envelopes._ As Honoka looked through the envelopes, she found that there were exactly nine, one for each of them. It was colored silver, with their names elegantly written in fancy cursive. It almost looked like a wedding invitation.

"So what did the girl give us?" asked Umi.

"Envelopes. One for each of us," said Honoka. She gave each Sailor the envelope with their name on it.

"I wonder who sent us such a fancy thing," said Nozomi.

"Pretty stationery, though," said Hanayo, "Almost seems like a waste to open it."

"Well, I dunno about you, but I'm opening mine," said Umi.

"Yeah, let's just open them up, Kayo-chin," said Rin.

"Okay."

They all opened up their envelopes, and took out the contents within. Inside was a single one-sided card. On it, written in the same elegant handwriting, were the words:

" _Dear Ms. [Sailor's Name],_

 _The honour would be entirely mine if you could come to my little party tonight._

 _My address is enclosed behind this message. I hope to see you there._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Sayaka Ichiro Miyafuji Bishop"_

As the note said, there was an address right on the back of the card, underneath to a big indigo bow. "A party?" asked Maki, "Why in the world would we be invited to a party?"

"I don't know," said Honoka, "But what I want to know is why that indigo bow looks familiar."

"Now that I think about it," began Eli, "wasn't that girl from the Witch battle in Makati named Sayaka?"

"You're right," said Hanayo, "If I remember right, that's what she was called."

"But why suddenly invite us to her place for a party?" asked Maki, "She doesn't even know who we are. After that battle, she just…disappeared."

"Well, only one way to find answers," said Honoka, "Girls. We're going to that party."

* * *

 **Part II: A Little Party Never Killed Nobody**

That night….

Honoka and the girls had called for taxis to bring them there; when she'd shown the driver the card, he said, "Huh. Going there tonight, eh? Alrighty then." He didn't say anything further on the matter.

The drive took them out of the city, and into the surrounding country. And then, lit up like a grand amusement park, appeared a huge mansion. Hundreds of people milled about the grounds, all bubbling with joy and excitement. Fancy cars found themselves parked next to normal ones, all crowding the garage and swamping the valet service. Even busses stuffed full of excited faces parked in front of the mansion's front, and unloaded its passengers, only to drive back to the city to pick up more. When the Sailors' taxis finally pulled up, a team of fancily dressed men opened the doors and stood by to let them out.

Honoka and the others stepped out, but Umi wasn't counted among them. Looking back into the taxi, Honoka saw her still sitting there. "Come on, Umi," she said, "It'll be fine."

"Can I trust you on that? Don't forget that time in New York."

"Oh, please, that was a long time ago. Now, are you going to come out, or am I going to have to drag you out of there?"

Umi silently got out of the taxi, tugging at her skirt.

"Hey, you look great," said Honoka.

"Welcome," said one of the well-dressed men, "Follow the crowd this way, please."

Honoka took out her invitation. "Do you know where we can find our host? We just got her invitations."

"Sorry," said the man, "I cannot provide any further information on the matter. The host wishes to remain anonymous. Now, if you would please follow the crowd inside." He gestured with his gloved hand.

Honoka figured she wouldn't get anything further on the matter, and so she and the rest of the Sailors went up the stairs and into the mansion. The inside was much different from the outside; it was decorated in an Art-Deco style, and almost felt like a first-class hotel in a big American city. There was music playing from a plethora of genres spanning the party atmospheres from all across time; a seemingly cacophonous mixture, yet they all combined well with each other, as if meshed together in a well-made mashup.

With all the controlled chaos a party could offer, Honoka and the Sailors were a bit bewildered. They let the surge of people take them, until they were pushed to the side. "Well, fancy running into you here," said a sort-of familiar voice.

Honoka turned, and saw the fair-skinned brown-eyed girl. She wore a loose white shirt with big red polka dots on it, a loose black skirt, blue leggings, and high-top sneakers. Her black hair was tied into a long ponytail on the left side of her head, held by a pair of big red beads. Despite the difference in appearance, Honoka recognized her. "You…from across the street, right?"

"Yes, that's me," said the girl, "I'm Azusa, nice to officially meet you."

"I'm Honoka," said Honoka, "And these are my friends Umi, Kotori, Hanayo, Rin, Maki, Nico, Eli, and Nozomi."

"Hello to you all," said Azusa politely, "So, first time at one of Sayaka's parties?"

"Yeah," said Honoka, "You?"

"I've been to a few. Pretty grand, huh?"

"I'll say," said Maki, visibly impressed.

"How did this Sayaka even get all these invites out?" asked Nico.

"Invites?" Azusa looked questioningly at Nico. "These people aren't invited. They just come here. Everyone comes here. Like, everyone. Rich, poor, young, old, politician, sailor, student, worker, celebrity, movie star…everyone from every walk of life comes here. Why, just a few weeks ago, the Prince and Princess came here."

"Really? To one of these?" said Eli in amazement, "Surely, they were invited, right?"

Azusa shook her head. "No. Not even them."

"You have got to be joking!" said Nico in disbelief, "If we got invitations, that has to mean that they got ones, too."

"Wait, you guys got invitations? No way…."

"You mean, you didn't know what those envelopes were?" asked Honoka.

Azusa shook her head again. "Like I said, none of us ever get invitations. You're the first. Ever. So I had no idea what those envelopes were."

"This is really unusual," said Kotori.

"I'll say," said Rin, "Go out of your way to give us invitations, and then don't even come out to meet us."

"Yes, that is funny, indeed," said Azusa. She suddenly heard a voice call her name over the party noise. "Ah, well, as much as I'd like to stay and chat further, I must meet up with my friend. It's also her first time here. See you around?"

"Yeah….bye," said Honoka.

With a wave and a smile, Azusa melted back into the crowd. Now alone, and a tad bit uncomfortable, the Sailors decided to split up and enjoy this party as best they could. "We'll stay for a few hours," said Honoka, "and then reconvene at the front steps to go home. Keep your earpieces on, in case we need to leave right away."

"Understood," said the others.

"Alright. Now, who's ready to party?"

"Yeah! Let's do this!"

* * *

 **Part III: You See…I'm Sayaka**

Almost three hours later….

It's been nearly three hours, and the party was still going strong. Honoka and the Sailors decided that three hours was too short a time to look for their host, so they decided to stick around some more. They all soon found themselves lost and separated in the wild atmosphere.

In one area of the backyard, Maki found herself alone. She was a little bit nervous, but she took solace in knowing her friends were still just a call away. She wended her way through the crowd, and suddenly found herself roped into a Charleston line. As she danced the Charleston, she could hear 20th Century swing music blending with a modern EDM rhythm. She was honestly impressed. _How they can somehow blend such different eras together is simply beyond me,_ she thought to herself.

After the dance, she kept walking. Then, she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Aren't you one of the girls with that Honoka girl?"

Turning, she saw Azusa standing there, a couple of soda cans in hand. "Yes," she said, "Maki."

"Hello, Maki," said Azusa, "Care for a Sprite?"

"Thanks," said Maki. After taking a sip, she said, "So, you say you've been to a few of these parties before?"

"Oh, yes," said Azusa, "How are you liking it so far?"

"It's…definitely a lot to take in."

"Yeah, it can be a bit bewildering at first." Azusa brightened up with a smile. "Tell you what, I'll give you the grand tour of the place. I've been here enough to know where everything happens. Come on!" She grabbed Maki's free hand.

* * *

Meanwhile….

In another part of the backyard, Kotori found herself fixated on a stage, where a performance was going on; specifically, she was looking at the singer in the center, who was dressed in an outfit she'd never seen before. She was dressed in a kimono decorated with plants and other flora, with a bottom reminiscent of a European-style dress skirt; it was tied with a turquoise sash around the torso, and had a blue trim. Her magenta hair was illuminated by what looked like a large candle flame. It was truly a sight to behold.

It seemed that this girl took notice, and after the song, she came down from the stage and walked up to Kotori. "Ya know," she said, "Staring is rude. Lucky for you, I'm nice. So, whatcha need?"

Kotori couldn't find the words to speak for a while. "Oh…uh….I was just…your outfit is very beautiful."

"Ah, thanks," said the girl, "Name's Kyoko."

"Nice to meet you, Kyoko," said Kotori, "I'm Kotori."

"Pleasure to meet you, Kotori." Kyoko placed her hands behind her head. "Ah, I love big parties. So much goin' on, y'know? Lots of fun."

"Ehehe, it's a bit overwhelming for me," said Kotori.

"Hm? Want me to show ya around?"

"Uh, okay. Thanks."

Kyoko opened up her arm for Kotori to link with it. Kotori nervously linked arms with Kyoko, and the two set off to explore the wilderness that was this mysterious mansion.

In another part of the party, Azusa and Maki have made their way inside, and found a group of high schoolers banging away on a piano. They had no idea what they were doing, and appeared to be causing the piano quite a lot of damage. Maki winced.

"Hey," said Azusa, "Be careful with that. It's an old piano."

"Oh?" said one high schooler, "And what are YOU gonna do about it?"

"Just be careful with it," said Azusa.

"Oh, sure thing, missy." The high schooler banged even harder on the piano. Azusa and Maki walked away.

"What kind of host just lets her guests destroy her things?" said Maki.

"Don't worry," said Azusa, "She'll take care of that."

As if on cue, a group of burly well-dressed men came in and told the group to leave. They did with little protest. Maki discretely breathed a sigh of relief.

"See? Taken care of."

Azusa and Maki walked up to the piano; Maki ran her hand along the keys, smiling reminiscently. She sat down, and began playing and singing a song she practically knew by heart, "START: DASH!"

When she'd finished, those who had heard applauded, including Azusa; just out of sight, the high schoolers glared with jealousy, and went outside. "That was amazing," Azusa said.

"Thank you," said Maki with a smile.

"Come on, let's go. There's still so much to see here." She and Maki continued on through the house.

* * *

Outside, Kotori and Kyoko conversed with a plethora of people from a plethora of backgrounds; they soon ended up talking with a drunken university professor from London. After an engaging conversation about God knows what, Kotori said, "Um, so have you ever met the host? Sayaka?"

"Met 'er?" said the professor, "Nah, I ne'er met 'er. I heard she killed a man."

"Yeah?" chimed in some celebrity, "I heard she has some strange superpowers. That she made a deal with the Devil."

"No no no," said yet another lady, "She was a spy. Working for the CIA and MI6. Real sneaky, that lass. One misstep, and bam. She'll have a knife jabbed in your throat before you could say a peep."

"Are all of these…true?" asked Kotori, anxious.

"Well, why don't we find her and ask her," said Kyoko.

"You won't find her," said another drunk old man, "Not here. This place, and all that's in it, is just a guise. A façade."

"Hiding what?" asked Kotori.

"The fact that this Sayaka Bishop…doesn't exist."

"Tch, don't listen to him," said Kyoko, "I met her."

The drunk old man looked disbelievingly at Kyoko, "Really? The spy? Or the murderer?"

Suddenly, before Kyoko could answer, a group of high schoolers barreled through the group, all of them unsteady and reeking of alcohol. They laughed and then fell to the ground, before laying eyes upon Kyoko and Kotori. Making a show of fixing themselves, they wobbled over to them. "Well, heller thar, byoutiful," said one of them, "Why don't ya come out wit' us. We'll show ya good time."

"Ah, uh….no, thank you," Kotori said.

"Back off, fellas," said Kyoko threateningly, "She's with me."

"Well, ain't ye the feisty li'l missy," said another, "I'll be 'aving a good bit o' fun with ye."

At that moment, Azusa and Maki showed up, talking happily. They stopped when they recognized the high schoolers.

"Oy, Jay. Ain't those them girls that showed us up on the piano inside?"

"Ah, that they are, gents." The boy known as Jay stepped towards Azusa and Maki. "You made a big mistake crossing us again, girl." Taking a drink from a passing butler's tray, he splashed it in Azusa's and Maki's faces, soaking them in vodka. He dropped the glass, shattering it on the ground.

"Real classy, gentlemen," said Azusa. As she wiped the vodka from her eyes, she glared at Jay and his crew. Maki also appeared ready for a fight, itching to pull out her Cosmic Rapier and "unman" these drunken delinquents. Kotori tapped a Morse signal into the comm, subtly calling for the other seven Sailors to come to her aid.

Tensions ran high. It almost seemed like a fight would break out. The high schoolers had the girls outnumbered two to one. When suddenly, another girl steps in. "Everyone calm down," she said in smooth voice, "We're all here to have fun. I don't like to see a fight break out here."

"Well well well," said Jay, "If ye wanna step in fer these sluts, then by all means. We'll have fun with ye."

"That won't be necessary," said the girl. She smiled, eyes gleaming threateningly. "Kyoko, dear," she said with an edge of anger, "Would you kindly escort these boys to a more discrete location. You can have your way with them there."

"With pleasure," said Kyoko. At that moment, another group of burly well-dressed men descended upon the high schoolers and escorted them out with Kyoko.

With the potential conflict resolved, the girl turned to Azusa and Maki; the other Sailors had finally shown up. The girl wore a simple but cute outfit of a red strapless dress with a strap going around the neck and a red hibiscus tucked over her left ear; her blond hair was tied in two ponytails going down behind her ears and onto her shoulders. The girl kneeled down, and began trying to clean up the mess on the floor.

"Oh, please," said Maki apologetically, "You don't have to."

"Your face is familiar," said the girl bluntly, "Have we met before?"

"Well, we do travel a lot, my friends and I," said Maki. She gestured to the other Sailors.

"As do I," said the girl, "I was in the Philippines not too long ago."

"We were also in the Philippines a while ago," said Honoka.

"Ah, yes, I knew you looked familiar," said the girl. She walked through the crowd, looking around at the party, "So, how are you all enjoying the party so far?"

"It's quite incredible," said Honoka. She, the other Sailors, and Azusa followed after the girl.

"I agree," said Eli, "Though, I must wonder why our host hasn't come to meet us yet."

"Yes," said Nozomi, "It seems we were the only ones actually invited to this party."

"Seems like no one's ever actually met this Sayaka lady," said Nico.

"They say she's an immortal agent of the Devil," said Rin, "Stalking this household every party to steal away souls."

The girl stopped, sighing. "Well, I guess I haven't been a very good host to you, then."

"Excuse me?" said Eli.

The girl turned, and smiled. "You see…I'm Sayaka."

At that moment, a fireworks and laser-light show filled the night sky with color, physically displaying the thoughts running through all nine Sailors' heads. Her smile was one of those rare smiles that one could only hope to see. It seemed to ease their restless minds and relax them. "I'm sorry, girls. I thought you knew."

"Oh my God…" said Nico slowly.

"So, it was you?" said Umi, "At the pocket dimension Makati? You were the one with the connected Witch Form?"

"Yes ma'am," said Sayaka, "That was me."

"Are you…a Magical Girl?" asked Hanayo.

"Yep," said Sayaka. She showed her Soul Gem, disguised a ring on her right ring finger.

"So, what about that Indigo Grief Seed you got from defeating that Witch?" asked Honoka.

"Sadly, she's gone now," said Sayaka.

"She? Gone?" Honoka was confused.

"Good questions. For another time." Sayaka walked up to Azusa. "Ms. Nakano, how are you tonight?"

Azusa smiled. "Well I smell of alcohol, and I'm soaked. But other than that, I'm great."

"Come," said Sayaka, "I'll see about getting you some new clothes, and wash these ones." Turning back to the Sailors, she continued, "If there's anything you need, anything you want, just let me know." She produced a small card from seemingly out of nowhere, containing her name, address, and phone number.

"Thank you," said Honoka.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go help Azusa get cleaned up. Enjoy the party." And with that, she and Azusa disappeared from view.

* * *

 **Part IV: Sayaka's Darkness**

With the promise of another hard day of work and school ahead, the partygoers slowly began to file out and return to society; by then, the party had died down to a sort of drunken tired vibe, and the butlers and servants were already starting to clean up.

Last among those to leave were the Cosmos Sailors. They'd gotten the chance to talk some more with Sayaka, recounting everything that had happened since they ran into each other in the pocket dimension Makati. They left each other as friends, and Sayaka promised to take them out to lunch sometime soon, so they could talk more. As the Sailors got onto a bus that Sayaka had called for them, they saw her waving at them from a second-floor window. They waved back, and left for their flat back in London.

"Well, I'd say that went well," said Azusa, "Smashing success." She took a sip of her tea.

"Yes, I was glad I made a good first impression," said Sayaka.

"Well, that's just you and your natural charm," said Kyoko, still in her fancy Half-Witch garb.

"I see you made fast friends with Kotori," said Azusa.

"And I saw you hanging around that Maki lady, so don't judge," said Kyoko.

"How did our high-school guests fare, Kyoko?" Sayaka asked, turning to face her two friends.

"After I took them someplace out of the way, I summoned some duplicates and knocked them out," said Kyoko, "They shouldn't even remember being here."

"That's good," said Sayaka, "The last thing we need here is for-hacgh…." She stopped mid-step, mid-word, and mid-sentence, unable to move.

"Whoa! Sayaka, are you okay?" asked Kyoko.

Sayaka couldn't answer. She was wincing and grimacing in a great deal of pain. She fell to her knees. "Gyaaaaaaagh! Hmn…grrgh…Raaaaaaaaaauuuugghhh!"

Azusa and Kyoko were greatly concerned and afraid; they wanted to help her, but had no idea what was going on.

Suddenly, a black smoke-like substance began escaping from Sayaka's Soul Gem, and swirled around in front of the fireplace. Then, a girl materialized from the smoke. She looked exactly like Sayaka, except sickly pale. She looked around, her indigo eyes devoid of any emotion.

Sayaka looked at this Shadow version of herself. She also took notice that her Soul Gem no longer had any color; it was just a black lifeless ring on her finger. "H…how….?"

Without a word and without warning, Shadow Sayaka attacked, dashing up to Sayaka and lifting her up off the ground by her throat. She glared at Sayaka, as Sayaka struggled. Azusa and Kyoko jumped up to do something, but were stopped when Shadow Sayaka stretched out her hand and froze them in a Time Field. Looking at Azusa, she glared again, and telepathically lifted her towards herself.

Still struggling against her Shadow self's grip, Sayaka said, "Please…s-stop…" Shadow Sayaka did stop, and Azusa fell unconscious onto the floor. Shadow Sayaka looked back at her normal self. And threw her at the window.

The last thing Sayaka glimpsed was a shower of broken glass, with Azusa's body following her out the window. And then everything faded to white.

* * *

 **Part V: Preparation**

The next morning….

Kyoko banged on another flat door, panting from running up and down all of London looking for the supposed Cosmic Sailors she'd met at the party. She'd knocked on more than a few wrong doors along the way, and she was beginning to lose hope. She'd been at this since she woke up on the floor of Sayaka's messy study, and saw that Sayaka, Azusa, and Shadow Sayaka had disappeared; she initially thought that someone had fallen out the broken window, but there was no body or blood splatter.

Thankfully, Kotori answered this door, looking quite concerned with Kyoko's sweaty and haggard appearance; she still wore her outfit from last night's party. "Kyoko? What are you doing here?"

Cathing her breath for a moment, Kyoko looked at Kotori, and said, "It's Sayaka…and Azusa…they're….gone…!"

* * *

Morning, 1943, South Pacific

Earth, Universe 20, Multiverse Spokoystviye

The hot tropical morning sun beat down upon on Sayaka's face. She stirred and woke up; she found herself on the floor, still in her red dress, complete with the hibiscus tucked behind her ear. She slowly stood up. Surprisingly, she didn't hurt anywhere, despite being thrown with extreme force through a window by her neck. She rubbed her neck, head still racked with questions.

Suddenly, she heard the click of a pistol being cocked behind her. Along with a girl's voice that said, "Alright, I'm gonna ask you once, and you better be honest. How did you get here? And what are you doing trespassing on a Liberian air base?"

Thinking quickly, Sayaka produced a slip of Psychic Paper from her pocket, turned around, and said, "I'm a pilot, ma'am." Though it looked blank to Sayaka, the girl appeared surprised and baffled.

Taking the slip of Psychic Paper from Sayaka's hands, the girl looked it over, not lowering or uncocking her Colt M1911. "Huh. Transfer from the RAF, eh," she said.

"Yes," Sayaka said with a quick nod.

The girl smiled, uncocked her pistol, and holstered it. "Okay," she said, "Come with me, and we'll get you processed. Welcome to the Mother Goose Project."

"Thanks," said a confused Sayaka, "Hey, got a name?"

"Louise," said the girl, "Louise Zamperini. Call me Zamp."

 _Zamperini,_ thought Sayaka, _Nice name…._

* * *

Sometime, 2287, Japan, Tokyo, Rising Sun Industries Vault A-113

Earth, Universe 1, Multiverse Junistera

Azusa awoke to see giant cockroaches and beetles around her. Panicking, she shot straight to her feet. They advanced. She kicked one in the face, and ran down a hallway. Something crunched under her foot, and she saw that it was a human skull. Shocked and sickened, she fell backwards on her bottom, skittering backwards. Noticing a pistol laying on the ground, she grabbed it, and aimed down the hallway at the giant bugs now advancing on her. She fired a shot, got up, and ran in the opposite direction.

She came to a big door, and noticed a lit red button just beside her. When she pressed it, the door opened, and she was greeted with a barren landscape lit only by the stars. And was that a building in the distance?

She ran out the door in the direction of the huge silhouette. And lost her footing. She tumbled down a hillside.

 **[End of Chapter 1]**

* * *

 _So, what did ya think? Interesting stuff, huh? Took inspiration from The Great Gatsby, Unbroken, and Fallout 4. The Cosmos Sailors are StrikerStanding692's characters, and they are all Love Live! characters. Kyoko Sakura, and her outfit appearance, both belong to Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Azusa Nakano is a character from K-ON!. Be sure to stay tuned for Chapter 3! And watch out for StrikerStanding692 to post Chapter 2 on his page! Bye now!_


	2. Chapter 3

_Picking back up from where StrikerStanding692 left off in Chapter 2…._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Memories We Left Behind**

 **Part I: The Shadow Lord and We**

Sometime, Somewhere

Collapsed Universe 13, Former Multiverse Eha

Collapsed Universes were dreary places. Even worse when an entire Multiverse is such a place. Multiverse Eha was once a thriving Multiverse, with a wise and benevolent being as its goddess. Then, everything changed when the Shadow attacked. Now, with its goddess slain, the entire Multiverse destabilized into its current state. It is here where everything just hangs suspended in a sort of mix between catatonia and euphoria. Whatever had been built when the area was thriving still stands, never decaying or collapsing. Any and all living things are trapped in a perpetual state of Temporal Fracture – Time itself was perpetually broken in places like these – here and there, one can see the objects, animals, and people all moving erratically and out of sync, as if caught in a laggy videogame. There is no concept of day or night – everything is kept illuminated by some sickly twilight emanating from everywhere and nowhere. The sound of a wind's rush could be heard, but there is no evidence of its effects on the landscape. It was hardly a place to call home.

And yet, a solitary being found herself strolling through the streets of some unnamed city.

Shadow Sayaka wended her way through the many humans frozen in Time, dodging some that moved erratically in the Fractured Timestream; she had just come from destabilizing yet an entire other Multiverse, Kekyona, in just two minutes, rendering it another version of Eha. Once or twice, she found herself tripping and falling up thanks to the strange gravity, but she soon found her way to the specified meeting spot: a solitary park bench overlooking a Time-frozen river. She sat down and waited, as waves and ripples shimmied and moved out-of-sync with each other.

In no time, a large plume of Shadow gathered in front of her, and Umbra Dominus, the Shadow Lord himself, materialized from it. He stared at Shadow Sayaka, who stood up at his arrival. With a respectful bow, she said, "Our lord, it is very gracious of you to see us." _Even though you are the one who told us to come here in the first place,_ she silently said in her head.

The Shadow lord nodded, "You have done well, my child. The powers you now possess would be extremely advantageous to us. We can now spread our influence even further, quicker, and more potently than previously. Soon, all of the Existence will be within our grasp." He held up a hand and clenched his fist at this point, laughing sinisterly.

"Yes," said Shadow Sayaka. However, within her raged a battle she tried very hard to stifle; a heavy deluge of Memories from her original self relentlessly assaulted her conscious. She saw worlds that held both beauty and terror in their depths, war-torn lands slowly recovering and returning to their original grandeur, families that previously were torn apart getting back together and rekindling old relationships. Surely not things she'd like to see erased. But as a Shadow, she was obligated, nay, created, to carry out the deeds of the Shadow Lord.

The Shadow Lord continued, "However, there seems to be one who still stands in our way."

"The Cosmos Sailors? We have already taken care of them. They are of no threat to us, and will not be for some time."

"I am not talking about the Sailors. They have help. One who also can travel through rifts, like you now can. And they have contacted her. She will be a great obstacle to us. She needs to be dealt with."

"Yes, our lord."

"The Junistera Multiverse is a new Multiverse. Twenty new Universes, without any god or goddess, ripe for our taking. But before they can be taken, we must remove all obstacles. That is where you come in. Find this rift traveler, and deal with her."

"As you wish, our lord."

"Be vigilant, my child. The Sailors, and their ally, are still in that vicinity, and they are still dangerous obstacles."

"Yes, our lord. With your guidance, we shall succeed." Shadow Sayaka got up and bowed once more; then she disappeared in a flash of dark gray static.

* * *

 **Part II: Waking Up In 2287**

Morning, 2287, Japan, Tokyo, outside Rising Sun Industries Vault A-113

Earth, Amida Galactic System, Universe 1, Multiverse Junistera

Azusa felt the warm slimy smoothness of a dog's tongue running all across her arms and legs. The sting of saliva shot her awake. "Wah! Aaaaaagh…" She stood up. Her own dried blood was caked where scrapes and bruises dominated her arms and legs. She shielded her eyes from the sun, looking around at a decimated cityscape. "Where am I…what happened here…?"

"Aruff! Ruff!" Azusa heard the sound of a dog's bark somewhere nearby. She found an Akita dog staring at her from behind a bush. "Ruff! Ruff!"

"Hey, there, buddy," she said, "It's okay, I'm nice." She crouched down, and held out her hand, both with great effort and stinging pain.

The dog approached cautiously, watchful of any sudden movements. Suddenly, a spasm of pain shot up from Azusa's shins, and she fell back to the ground. Surprisingly, instead of running back behind the bush, the dog ran right up to her, trying to grab her fingers in its jaw in an effort to keep her up. Unsuccessful, it instead headbutted Azusa, pushing her back and trying to get her to stand again.

With the dog's help, Azusa got her feet under her, and she tried her best to stay that way. She took stock of her injuries. "Guess I'll need to see if there's anything we can use to heal these, huh? Probably means we'll have to go back in there." She gestured to the Vault on the hill.

Azusa walked over to where the pistol fell, picked it up, and stuffed it in the waist of her pants. Then, she found a stick, and used it as staff to climb up the hill; her new canine companion was close behind her. It wasn't too long of a hike up, but Azusa's injuries did nothing to make it go any quicker; by the time they were in front of the Vault's big door, she was exhausted and hurting. But the dog urged her on, so she continued inside.

* * *

 **Part III: Welcome to Project Mother Goose**

Still Morning, 1943, Funafuti Airfield, Nanumea, Gilbert Islands

Earth, Universe 20, Multiverse Spokoystviye

The commander of the base's squadron looked over Sayaka's documentation and credentials. Or more accurately, he was looking over Sayaka's slip of Psychic Paper, which appeared to be showing her documentation and credentials. "Well, I can see why people don't believe you at first. You say you're 23, Flying Officer?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Sayaka, "I stopped growing at age 16, so that's why I look this way. But that does not impede my ability to pilot aircraft."

"Uh huh," said the commander, thinking, "Never seen a woman be a pilot. Only witches." After a while, he said, "Well, looks like you check out. Welcome to the 26th Bombardment Squadron and Project Mother Goose, F/O Bishop."

"Thank you, sir," Sayaka stood at attention, and saluted. She was still in her red dress, with the hibiscus still tucked in her hair. It made for a pretty comical sight. The commander and Zamperini were trying their hardest to keep down their laughter.

"Now, if you'll follow me, you little cutie," said Zamperini, "I'll introduce you to the crew."

"Thanks, Captain Zamperini," said Sayaka.

"Hey, I told ya, call me Zamp."

"Okay, Zamp." Sayaka followed Zamp outside.

The two walked over to a makeshift hut a couple buildings down from the CO's office. On the way, Zamp explained the Mother Goose Project. In a nutshell, it took bombers, namely B-24 Liberators, and modified them to carry, launch, and dock up to four witches. It may have lost its ability to drop bombs, but it was able to carry a small escort formation for a bomber squadron, or carry out its own strikes with its witches.

The South Pacific heat and humidity threatened to melt them, but when they stepped inside, it was only marginally better. Sayaka seemed to have an easier time with the heat, considering the dress she was wearing. Inside were a group of USAF officers, three more witches and seven men.

"Everyone, meet the new pilot," said Zamp, "Her name's Flying Officer Sayaka Bishop, a transfer from Britannia. F/O Bishop, meet your new crew. 'Cup' Cupernell, your copilot, Mitchell, your navigator, your engineers Douglas and Pillsbury, who are also a couple of your gunners, Glassman, your radioman and belly gunner, and your gunners and Striker engineers Lambert and Brooks. Fellas, this is your new pilot, Flying Officer Sayaka Bishop."

"Hiya, boys," said Sayaka with a smile, "Just call me Sayaka."

"What's with the dress?" asked Cupernell, "What do you think this is, a vacation?"

"Ehehe," Sayaka chuckled sheepishly, "I, uh, well, we are in the South Pacific, are we not?"

"Pfffff," snorted Mitchell.

"I'll say this, at least," said Brooks, "You look fine in that dress."

"Hehehe, thanks," said Sayaka with a blush. She shook hands with her new crew.

"Well, that's your crew," said Zamp, "Now, meet your Geese."

"Geese?" asked Sayaka.

"Yep. The witches you'll be carrying," said Zamp.

"Oh."

First to get up was a rough-and-tumble-looking girl, dressed in a Marine Corps witch uniform. "Colonel Greta Boyington, VMF-214, Marines. Pleasure to meet ya." She and Sayaka shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, as well," said Sayaka.

Next was another Marine Corps witch. "1st Lt. Roberta M. Hanson, also VMF-214. Call me the Butcher."

"Pleasure to meet you," said Sayaka.

"Nice to meet you, too."

After Roberta was a witch in a USAAF. "Hi ya. I'm 1st Lt. Alana Russell Phillips, 26th Bomb Squadron, Army Air Force. Just call me Alana."

"Pah! Army," said Greta, "Stands for 'Ain't Ready to Be Marines Yet'."

"Tch," said Alana.

"And ya already know me," said Zamp, "Captain Louise Zamperini."

"I take it you're the ranking officer of the witches?" said Sayaka.

"Yep," said Zamp, "Come on. I'll take you to Super Man, our plane."

Suddenly, someone walked into the hut, and said, "We've got a mission! Get to your plane and get going."

"Yes sir," said Zamp. She turned to Sayaka. "Well, guess we'll be heading there anyway. Let's go."

Everyone scrambled out of the hut and to their plane.

* * *

 **Part IV: VIOLA**

Mid-Morning, 2287, Japan, Tokyo, outside Rising Sun Industries Vault A-113

Earth, Amida Galactic System, Universe 1, Multiverse Junistera

Azusa and her new canine companion slowly made their way around the Vault; since it was designed to withstand multiple nuclear attacks, it had no windows, and was only dimly lit by emergency lights. It turned out to be quite a maze; Azusa was sure she'd get lost without a map. Yet, she couldn't find any sort of map. Thankfully, the dog seemed to know its way around, and served as Azusa's guide, until they finally made it to the infirmary.

"Wow! Good, uh, girl!" Azusa congratulated, checking to confirm the gender of her new friend.

"Aruff! Ruff!" barked the Akita proudly.

"Now, let's see if I can't find some First Aid supplies…." Azusa rummaged through a container, and finally found some wraps, gauze, and Hydrogen Peroxide. She got to work cleaning her injuries; the Hydrogen Peroxide stung something fierce. "Gaaaaagggggghhhhhhh…" she winced in great pain.

"Why don't you try using the StimGel?" said a voice.

Azusa jumped, and the Akita began growling. "Who's there?" Azusa said, scanning the area with her pistol.

"Calm down, will ya? I'm trying to help."

"Why don't you come out so I can see you, then?"

"I'm over here."

Azusa turned her head.

"Nope. Here. Keep turning. Keep turning. Over. Oooooover. Aaaaand, right here!" A display lit up, showing the head and upper torso of a girl who looked like Ellen from _The Witch's House_ ; she had the same violet hair, yellow eyes, red bow, and dress as the character. "Hey there. Name's VIOLA."

"Viola?" asked Azusa.

"Yep. 'Vocalized Interface Oaxaca, Localhost, All-mounted.' Or just VIOLA. I'm a MobiCom AIOS, or 'Artificial Intelligence Operating System.'"

"AIOS? MobiCom?" Azusa was confused, and had a great deal of questions.

"I'll explain later. Right now, we gotta deal with these injuries of yours. Third cabinet on the right. Blue plastic box. Open the latch, and you'll see a jar of blue gel-like substance. That's StimGel. Open that up, and apply lightly to the injuries. You should feel better in no time."

Azusa followed VIOLA's instructions. The StimGel acted fast, and gave off a soothing sensation as it worked. In no time at all, her wounds were healed up; not even a scar showed, nor a hint of pain stung. "Wow. Thanks." With that, Azusa got up to leave.

"Now, hold on, wait a minute. Aren't ya gonna take me with you?"

"How can I? You're a computer system."

"Well, yeah. But I'm a MobiCom, a Mobile Computer. I can help you out a lot. Please? You won't regret it. And you don't have to worry about charging me, 'cuz I have a long-lasting solar-charged battery. Plus, I go right on your arm, like a watch. Please, please, pleeeeeeease?" VIOLA clasped her hands together, pleading and begging as best as an AI could.

"Alright, let's go," said Azusa. She picked up VIOLA.

"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you~! It's so quiet and lonely here! But now I can explore the world again!"

Azusa chuckled a bit as she slipped VIOLA onto her left arm. VIOLA's kind of cute when she acts like that.

"Hey, ma'am, got a name? Something I can call ya?"

"Azusa. Azusa Nakano."

"Well, Ms. Nakano, I can also double as a light." At that, she increased the brightness on her screen, illuminating the area around them. And shedding light on the giant cockroaches surrounding them. "Well, shit…."

* * *

 **Part V: Super Man, Super Crew**

Almost Noon, 1943, Approaching Nauru Island, Micronesia

Earth, Universe 20, Multiverse Spokoystviye

The drone of no less than 20 Liberators reverberated through the Pacific sky. These great green flying whales flew in a neat Combat Box formation, some carrying bombs, others carrying witches and their Strikers. Flying in the lead element, Super Man was one of those carrying witches, with its new pilot F/O Sayaka Bishop at its helm. She and her copilot Cup kept the plane at a steady speed, while the gunners scanned the skies for any Neuroi aircraft. Of which, they had yet to see any. This elated some but concerned others; there may not be any Neuroi now, but who's to say that they aren't waiting to spring an ambush on them?

Thankfully, no ambush seemed to occur, and pretty soon, a solitary island appeared in the distance. It was mostly flat, with a series of Neuroi Hives dotting it. Sayaka tapped Cup's shoulder to get his attention, and pointed dead ahead; believe it or not, she was still dressed in the red dress she arrived in, and the red hibiscus was still tucked in her ear, now squashed by the headset. "Looks like we're here."

"Altitude 8000 feet," said Cup, "Get ready, everyone."

Throughout the plane, everyone tensed up; one could almost feel the increased alertness. Lambert and Brooks began running through last-minute checks on the four Strikers in the bomb bay, and made sure the bombs on Zamp's and Alana's Strikers were ready. The Liberator Strikers had a bit of harder time launching from their Mother Geese – they'd often lose a control surface or two upon dropping. Nonetheless, Zamp and Alana kept to their Liberators diligently.

The two bomber witches sat with Greta, Roberta, and Mitchell in the nose section beneath the cockpit. Mitchell scanned outside through the glass nose, a position originally taken up by the bombardier.

"Get your cameras, boys and girls," said Zamp confidently, "I'm gonna light that Hive up like Christmas!"

"Do that, and drinks are on me," said Roberta.

"I'm gonna have to pass on that, beautiful," said Zamp, "Every time I go with you, all the men go for you, not me."

Roberta laughed.

"Alrighty, witches," said Mitchell, "Get ready to mount your brooms! Navigator to crew, launch bay doors open." Mitchell pulled a lever, and the doors to the launch bay slid open, letting in more light and a view of the ocean.

"Lowering geese to Launch Phase 1," said Douglas. He pulled some other levers, and the four Strikers lowered down a bit, to the point where the witches could sit on a bar and put their feet in. Mitchell gave the sign to mount their Strikers.

"Okay girls," said Zamp, "Let's go!" She stood.

Nodding, the other witches stood up and made their ways to their respective Strikers; Zamp and Alana to their B-24 Liberators, and Greta and Roberta to their F4U Corsairs. Stepping up a small ladder, they sat down on a bar, and put their feet into their Strikers, feeding magic into them. Once they were ready, they gave a thumbs-up to Douglas. Douglas returned the gesture, and sent them down, one by one.

First was Greta, and then Roberta; the fighters launched first to secure the airspace. Then, Zamp and Alana launched next, each carrying a payload of bombs for the Neuroi. "All geese launched," said Douglas.

"Roger," said Sayaka.

Suddenly, Nauru came alive as hundreds of thousands of Neuroi laser beams erupted from its surface. Super Man and the other Liberators found themselves enveloped in a spider web of lethal red energy. One bomber got grazed by a beam, tearing a gash in its nose section. Another bomber took a hit directly to the bomb bay, and it exploded in mid-air.

As for Super Man, a couple lasers nicked the flaps, and put a couple holes in the launch bay doors. So when Mitchell attempted to close up the bay doors, they got stuck. "Navigator to pilot, launch bay doors are stuck," he reported.

"Gotta get those doors closed," said Sayaka, "Drag's gonna slow us down."

"Roger." Mitchell moved to crank the back-up levers.

In the cockpit, Sayaka increased the throttle, and banked over as she witnessed her four witches lay waste to a Hive. The Hive disintegrated into thousands of tiny white specks. "Just like Christmas, indeed, Zamp," said Sayaka, "Now, hurry on over and get back here, so we can get out of here."

Suddenly, black dots appeared in the horizon off to their left. "Yo! Neuroi inbound! 10 o'clock, level!" Sayaka shouted, "Zamp, you better get your arses back here now! Boys, call them out, and gun them down!"

Super Man's machine guns barked to life as every crewmember ran to their gun station and opened fire.

* * *

 **Part VI: Hook, Line, and Sinker**

Sunset, Present-day, A country town, Japan

Earth, Universe 16, Multiverse Tteolllida

Mato Kuroi's school let out with the tone of the bell. After waving goodbye to her friends, Mato continued on home alone. She skipped a bit, tired but happy to finally be on her way home.

Somewhere behind her, a lone shadowy figure watched her going by behind a book, listening to whatever was playing in their earbuds. Once Mato rounded a corner, the figure closed her book, and followed from a distance.

Pretty soon, Mato made it home, and she closed the door behind her. Across the street, the figure twirled the end of her long right-side ponytail, smiling. "Yes, this is perfect."

Shadow Sayaka walked right up to Mato's door. And with a Time Blast, she blew it open, and stepped inside. "Hide! Because the world is no longer yours!"

She saw Mato staring at her wide-eyed; she walked up to her and grabbed her by the collar, standing her up. Shadow Sayaka then back-slapped Mato, and she careened into the wall.

At that moment, Black Rock Shooter, Mato's other-dimensional counterpart, appeared and saw the commotion. She lunged for Shadow Sayaka and pulled her away from Mato. She and Mato looked at each other and nodded, both thinking the same thing. They combined, and Rock stood to face her attacker. Rock moved to attack again.

Shadow Sayaka threw up a Time Field around Rock, suspending her in Time. With her stopped, Shadow Sayaka landed a spin-kick to Rock's face, knocking her out of the Time Field. Following through with her movement, Shadow Sayaka pulled out a Desert Eagle and fired off a few rounds. Rock dodged these, and went on the offensive again.

With the elegance and grace of a dancer, Shadow Sayaka avoided Rock's attacks, and threw another spin-kick. This time, Rock did dodge this one, and landed a hit of her own, sending Shadow Sayaka into a wall. "Hm-hm," Shadow Sayaka chuckled, "This will be a bit more of a challenge than we thought." She stood up and dusted herself off. "But enough games."

Shadow Sayaka completely stopped Time this time, instead in a small Field. With a swift movement, and without touching her, she sent Rock flying through the ceiling, up to the second floor, and then back down onto the floor. Then, she had Rock stand right in front of her.

With another swift movement, like Tai Chi, she palm-struck Rock in the chest. Somehow, this strike severed Rock's connection with Mato, and she separated out of Mato's body. Still caught in frozen Time, they both froze mid-fall. Shadow Sayaka unfroze Time, and as they were falling, she took the opportunity to possess Rock's body.

* * *

Mato lay unconscious on the ground.

"Hey," she heard Rock say, "Hey. Wake up."

Mato woke up, and said, "Where's that girl that attacked us? Did we deal with her?"

"No," said Rock, "She has possessed you."

"Eh?! What?!" Mato freaked out.

"And the only way to expel her…" Rock pointed her Rock Cannon right at Mato.

"R-rock…?"

"We are sorry, Lady Kuroi. But this is the only way."

"What? W-we? L-lady Kuroi? Why are you t-talking like that?"

Rock ignored her. She pressed the Rock Cannon against Mato's head.

* * *

Shadow Sayaka did not make Rock pull the trigger. She just stood there, reveling in her quick success. Suddenly, she felt a kick to her back, and she fell away from Mato. She turned to see Janeth arriving through a rift.

"Janeth!" said Mato, relieved.

"Lady Janeth Maria Ferrano," said Shadow Sayaka/Rock.

"Turning friends against each other is a dick move," said Janeth, "But since you're here already, I'll end this here and now." She pulled out her Strike-Umbrella, and pointed it at Rock. "Come out of there, Shadow bitch! And fight me properly."

Shadow Sayaka/Rock laughed. "We are afraid that is impossible. But do not worry. We will not kill her. It was you we are after, anyhow."

"Tch." Janeth rushed forward, converting her Umbrella into her Strike-Rapier.

Shadow Sayaka/Rock casted a Time Field to try and trap Janeth, but Janeth was already ready, and used her Magic to counteract it. Janeth pressed her attack, lunging with her Rapier. At the last possible moment, Shadow Sayaka/Rock sidestepped to the right to dodge. And then, she pointed her finger at Janeth, freezing her in place with Psychokinesis.

"What the hell?" said Janeth, "I can't….move."

Shadow Sayaka/Rock sighed. "This was supposed to go somewhat more peacefully. But you forced our hand. Why did you decide to intervene? This would never have happened if you didn't."

"Fuck…you!"

"Hm. Well then." Shadow Sayaka/Rock began psychokinetically tossing Janeth around like a rag doll, much like she did to Rock just earlier. "How about now? Do you yield?"

"I….can do this all day…"

"Okay." Shadow Sayaka/Rock grabbed Janeth by the neck and tossed her to the far end of the room. Then, she took aim at Mato with the Rock Cannon again.

"No!" Janeth got up and tried to stop what was about to happen. But she was again psychokinetically lifted off the ground.

"Now, you can only watch as your friend is killed," said Shadow Sayaka/Rock, "But you can stop this, right here, right now, if you would only surrender." She spoke slowly, confident in herself.

Janeth said nothing, trying all she could to squirm loose.

Shadow Sayaka/Rock rubbed her chin. "Hm…if watching it being done will not get you to talk, then, how about….?"

Janeth suddenly found herself moving without her control. She summoned her Cannon-Rifle against her will, and pointed it right at Mato. She grimaced. "No…please?"

"We do not here any surrendering." Shadow Sayaka made Janeth's finger slowly apply pressure on the trigger.

Janeth and Mato began crying, tears streaming down their faces. As much as they wanted to fight it, as much as it pained them, there was nothing more they could do. At the last second…

"Alright!" Janeth shouted, "Alright…."

"Alright what?" said Shadow Sayaka.

"I…" Janeth struggled to utter a word she never once said in her life.

"You. What?" Shadow Sayaka, still possessing Rock's body, slid up close to Janeth. "I-want-to-hear-you-say-it," she said slowly.

Janeth felt her finger press more on the trigger. "I g-give up! Fucking stop this already!"

"Good girl," said Shadow Sayaka. She knocked Mato unconscious, and left Rock's body, thereby rendering her unconscious, as well. She stood to face Janeth, still floating off the ground. "Unfortunately, we are not done yet." Shadow Sayaka turned into black smoke, and then entered Janeth's body. "Loose ends must be tied," her voice echoed in Janeth's head, "We must ensure that you do not return to interfere in the future."

Janeth felt a great deal of darkness welling up inside of her. "Haaaaaaahhhh~," Shadow Sayaka made her say with pleasure, "So much power! So many memories~!" With the knowledge of the locations of all of Janeth's versions, Shadow Sayaka broke into her constituent Shadows, and sent them to each version.

In each World, wherever a Janeth existed, Shadow Sayaka's Shadows entered her mind and possessed her, sucking the light out of her Soul Gems, and sapping her of her Powers. Once the task was completed, all of the Shadows reconvened together, and Shadow Sayaka rematerialized.

Janeth, drained of both power and energy, collapsed onto the floor. She stared blankly at her Soul Gem, now completely devoid of color and light. "H…how…why? I already said I surrendered…why did you do this…?"

"You know, Sayaka wondered similar things when we materialized out of her." Shadow Sayaka knelt down in front of Janeth. "Silly girl. We know you all too well. If this version of you did not attempt to thwart us, it is likely that one of your other versions would. But now, our job is done. Leave us be. Attack us, continue to try and stop us, and it will end worse for you."

With that final warning said, Shadow Sayaka grabbed Janeth by the hair, and punched her square in the face, knocking her unconscious and breaking her nose. Then, she turned and walked away. With a wave of her hand, all the debris was cleaned up, and all the damage was repaired. Soon, the only hints that there was a battle were the three unconscious and bloody girls lying on the floor.

 **[End of Chapter 3]**

* * *

 _The image of Ellen is credited to the game_ The Witch's House _, and its developers. I take no ownership. Also, I'm taking heavy inspiration from_ Unbroken _and_ Fallout. _Be sure to check back with StrikerStanding692 for the next chapter. And from he's been showing me, it's looking pretty good._


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